On the 2d of September, we sailed from Peyta, and shaped our course for the Gallapagos Islands. The trade wind was moderate, accompanied with fine weather. On the morning of the 6th, we made Hood's Island, and in a few hours afterwards, anchored on the west side, in a small harbour, called Gardner's Bay, the only one it affords. After dinner, the captain took with him twenty or thirty of the crew, and went in pursuit of turtle. The island is high and mountainous, covered everywhere with volcanic cinders, many of which are in huge masses. The men were at first very eager in their search for turtle, and the whole crew, if they had been permitted, would gladly have engaged in it.
They expected to have found the turtle near the shore; instead of which they had to scramble over rocks and climb mountains, half the time making their way through brambles, at the expense of scratches and torn clothes. Men were never more disappointed than our crew in the amusement of catching turtle. Sometimes they would wander about for hours before they found one, and then it would probably be a mile or two from the beach, and as much as a man could well lift. By sundown we had collected about thirty, of large size. Black grouper were very abundant close to our anchorage, but the sharks were so numerous that for every fish taken we lost one or two hooks. We got a plentiful supply for the crew, however, in the course of an hour. On the following morning, we joined Captain Meek, of the brig Tamahamah, which vessel had accompanied us hither, and making a large party—went round the island about ten or twelve miles from our anchorage, where we expected to find turtle more abundant. The captain was an old cruiser here, and well calculated to make one of an agreeable party. He stood cook for us, and as the day was very warm, our first essay on landing, was to make a large bower, under which to prepare our dinner. The people then dispersed, to look for turtle, the first of which were served up for our dinner, in a style that might have been relished by less keen appetites than ours, which were sharpened by laborious exercise. At night, we had collected upwards of a hundred, besides ten large green turtle, we were so fortunate as to find on the beach near the place of our landing. When we came to assemble our men to return on board, two of them were missing, and upon inquiry were ascertained to have been absent nearly all day. We dispersed and looked for them in every direction until dark, when every body being much fatigued, a party was left to search for them again in the morning, and the rest repaired on board. In the morning, we renewed our labours without success, and with great reason began to feel seriously alarmed for the safety of our shipmates. There was no water on the island, and the preceding day had been so extremely warm, that we feared the poor fellows would soon perish, if they had not already. Our search, too, was attended with considerable danger. Wandering about in distant parts of the island, we sometimes, in clambering over rocks and mountains, changed our course without being sensible of it, and would find ourselves pursuing our way in a different direction from what we supposed. In the afternoon, when our strength and patience were quite exhausted, and our parties returning for the night, the lost men suddenly appeared on the beach, close to the vessel. They were pale and emaciated, with scarcely strength to move one foot before the other. Their clothes were in tatters, and their shoes worn off their feet, which were very much crippled with their long journey over the sharp cinders. It appeared from the story of these men, that they had several times been on the side of the island where we were anchored, but upon an eminence that overlooked the vessel, and thinking themselves on the other side, recrossed; when, to their astonishment, seeing nothing of her, they would retrace their steps; and in this manner, were wandering about for many hours, almost despairing at last of finding relief. While they were in this wretched situation, they several times quenched their thirst by killing turtle that came in their way, and drinking from the reservoir with which nature has supplied this singular animal. I have since been told by a seaman, that he deserted from a whale ship at these islands, accompanied by a number of others, and that for weeks, they had no other water than what they obtained by breaking open the turtles and drinking of the water they found in them. It is contained in a pouch that resembles a bladder, and is immediately connected with the stomach. It is large in proportion to the size of the animal, and some of them will hold two or three gallons. It surprised us to see the tameness of the birds. They would scarcely fly from us when we approached them within a few feet, and in many instances we could pick them up with our hands. The gannet, generally of a clear white, and as large as a goose, we could catch with great ease; and the albatrosses, some grey and some yellow, which were much larger than any bird we have in the United States, would but rarely rise upon the wing to escape us. They ran very fast, and would sometimes give us a chase of one or two hundred yards. A bird, the plumage and form of which differed in no respect from our mocking-bird, would feed within a few feet of us, and the turtle-doves were killed in great numbers by our people, with short poles. Hood's Island is evidently of volcanic origin. It is, indeed, nothing but a mass of cinders. It is covered with a slight growth of scrubby bushes of various kinds, and occasionally a tree of four or five inches in diameter, is met with. Of all its vegetation, the cactus seems best adapted to it. There is a variety of the species; one of which attains to a larger size than any other production of the island, and spreads out into a tree of considerable height. This kind of the cactus is chosen by the turtle for food. When the whalers, or other visiters, go to the Gallapagos Islands for these animals, they cut down a number of the trees in the evening, and on the following morning they are sure to find turtle feeding there, although none could be seen in its vicinity on the preceding day. The guanas are not the least remarkable of the inhabitants of the Gallapagos. They are from two to three feet long and shaped like a lizard. Their colour varies from grey to jet black. They are easily caught and quite harmless; are often eaten and said to be excellent. On the top of the head they have a beautiful shining crest of black and yellow, which, in the sun, has a most brilliant appearance.
Except where we anchored, a heavy surf breaks all round Hood's Island. In a high and central part of it, is a place which resembles the dry bed of a small lake. It is surrounded by ridges and peaks of cinders rising in some places from one to three hundred feet, and in all probability has been the crater of a volcano. In places difficult of access we saw a few seals, but so shy that with the exception of one or two instances, we could not approach them. The few that we killed were hair seal, and consequently of but little value. Between Hood's Island and the small one that forms the harbour, there is a passage for ships, but it is very narrow, and with a strong current that runs through it, which would always render it dangerous for a ship to attempt to pass, particularly so if the wind were not perfectly fair.
At one, P.M., on the 10th of September, we got underway, and stood over for Charles Island, where we anchored at six, in Essex Bay. Rock Dismal, so called by Commodore Porter, is an excellent land mark, and seems to have been appropriately named. It rises to the eastward of Essex Bay, in sharp crags of fifty to a hundred feet high. A few solitary bushes constitute all its vegetation. In approaching Essex Bay, and at its entrance, we were alarmed several times by a strong ripple, but in casting the lead found no bottom with ten fathoms of line. At Essex Bay, is the celebrated post-office of the whalers, to which Commodore Porter resorted several times during his cruise for information. We found a letter there left by a whaler who had visited Charles Island for a supply of turtle. He was last from the river Tumbez, where one of his crew had caught a fever, of which he died. Two others lost their way in the mountains of Charles Island, where, after wandering about for a considerable time, one of them complained to his companion of a head-ache, and soon after sat down and died. The other found his way to the ship after a great deal of suffering.
Charles Island is high and mountainous, and like Hood's, is covered with a thin growth of bushes. At the distance of a mile from the beach there is a small spring of water, to which there is a footpath over the crags and hills, worn by visiters in search of turtle, a scanty supply of which can only be obtained with great labour. The residence of Pat, the Irishman, in this lone and dreary place, for a number of years, has made it an object of curiosity to all who visit the island. Here he planted his potatoes and pumpkins, and raised his chickens; administering the government of his island with despotic sway, for Pat was a monarch although he pillowed his head upon a rock, and reposed his rude limbs on a bed made of bushes. The story is known to all who have read Commodore Porter's journal, in which he gives an account of Pat's residence on this island, and of his possessing himself of the person and services of a black man belonging to a whale ship, who had strayed too far from his companions, and whom Pat held in durance for a long time.
At ten, A.M., we parted company with the Tamahamah, and sailed for the Marqueses Islands. The turtle with which our deck was covered, were very troublesome and offensive for about a week, when they became quite domesticated and gave us not the slightest inconvenience. For two or three weeks we served them to the crew constantly, in lieu of the usual allowance of salt provisions. It was a most valuable substitute, and important to us, as we were bound upon a long cruise, as well for the health of the crew as for the preservation of our sea stock. When the number became comparatively small, we discontinued the general use of them, and served them only once or twice a week. We never fed them, and for aught I could see, they were equally as fat and healthy a month after they were taken on board, as on the first day. As a sea stock nothing can be more convenient or better calculated for a long cruise. They may be put any where and kept in almost any way, and if it should be thought advisable to feed them, there is scarcely any vegetable substance that they will not eat after they are a little domesticated. The liver of this turtle is particularly delicious. When fried, it is not unlike a fine oyster, and although partaken very freely of, no ill effect is ever experienced from it. Sixteen days after leaving Charles Island, we made the island Rooahooga, one of the southernmost of the Marqueses group. The wind was fresh and blew steadily from the southward and eastward, accompanied by a heavy swell. As we approached the islands, we had some rainy and cloudy weather, but with this exception, our whole passage was attended with clear days and fine moonlight nights. In latitude three degrees south, and longitude ninety-five degrees west, we observed a remarkable appearance in the water, which, had we been navigating an unfrequented ocean, would have very much alarmed us. At several different times during the day, on September 12th, we passed through violent rips, and at times nearly the whole ocean assumed the appearance and agitation of boiling water.
Throughout our passage, we remarked, that whenever the wind hauled to the southward of southeast, it increased in force. It occurred so frequently as to be a subject of general remark.
On the 20th of September, in latitude seven degrees fifty minutes south, and longitude one hundred and twenty degrees thirty minutes west, we saw a comet for the first time, thirty or forty degrees above the horizon, and bearing from us east by north. At day-light, on the morning of September 26th, several of the southernmost of the Marqueses were in sight. They were all mountainous, but covered with vegetation, and as we drew near presented a pleasing contrast to the sterile and gloomy Gallapagos. We stood along the shore of La Dominica, admiring the beautiful little valleys that were presented to our view in quick succession, where villages of palm-thatched huts, surrounded by clumps of tall cocoa-nut and wide-spreading bread fruit trees, formed scenes of rural quiet calculated to fill the imagination with the most agreeable conceptions of the happy condition of their inhabitants. At length we came to a small bay where the valley was more populous than any we had seen before, and the captain, to our great satisfaction, hauled up for it and stood close in towards the island. We lowered a boat, and providing ourselves with a few trifles for presents, pulled into the bay within a few yards of the shore. The beach was already thronged with people of all ages, male and female, who invited us to land by the most significant gestures, whilst many of them were singing and dancing to express their joy. The surrounding rocks and hills were covered with groups of females, gaily decked off with their neat head-dresses of the white Tapa cloth and many-coloured robes, which were floating in the wind, half concealing and half exposing their fantastically painted limbs. When they saw that we would not land, the men and boys dashed into the water with whatever they had to offer us, and swam off to the boat. A chief, who had a dry wreath of cocoa-nut around his brows, came off with them; and, upon being invited, got into the boat, where he remained until our departure, apparently giving orders from time to time to those who were passing and repassing from the shore to the boat. In a few minutes, they had presented us with a considerable quantity of cocoa-nuts, bananas, and papayas, for which we gave them in return a few trifling articles, the most valuable of which were glass beads. The chief had his eyes constantly fixed upon our fire-arms, and finally gave us to understand, by motions, that a pistol would be acceptable to him. With this intimation we could not comply; but he bore the refusal with great good nature, and for some time after our store of little presents was exhausted, his people continued to bring us off fruit without the expectation of any return. When they found that we were serious in our refusal to land, the women came from the hills and assembled on the rocks close to us, where, in a nearer view, they could display their persons to more advantage, and charm us with the melody of their voices. There they all joined in songs, keeping time by clapping their hands, stopping occasionally to receive the applause of the men and to invite us on shore. Several of them, male and female, swam off to the boat; and when we were about to depart, insisted so strongly upon going on board with us that we had to use some violence to get clear of them.
We continued on in the afternoon, soon passing La Dominica, and at sundown made Rooahooga ahead. The weather being squally and the island only fifteen miles from us, we lay by for the night. At daylight, we found ourselves a few miles distant from the middle of the south side of the island, where a bay presented itself, which, at a distance, promised to afford anchorage. On a nearer approach, however, its appearance changed, and as there were but few signs of inhabitants, we ran along toward the west end of the island. This part of it had not much appearance of fertility, although we saw a few large trees. It is high, broken, and indented with a number of small bays, none of which are large enough to form a harbour. In rounding the southwest point of the island we had sudden and violent gusts of wind. Invisible Bay is situated a little to the westward of this point, and although it has somewhat the appearance of a harbour, and presents to view a beautiful sand beach, we saw no indications of inhabitants. About ten miles to the north, we anchored in twenty fathoms water, having rocky bottom, and an inaccessible rocky shore where the surf breaks violently. The captain and several officers went back to Invisible Bay in one of the boats, and in a cave close to the shore they found five or six natives, who at their approach, fled to the hills, making signs for our people to depart. In the cave, they found a few fishing-nets. They tried to prevail upon the natives to come near, but their demonstrations of friendship were answered only by motions expressive of hostility. The landing was difficult, as the shore was rocky, and a considerable surf broke upon it, although the bay was tolerably protected by a projecting point. Soon after meridian, we got under way and shaped our course for Nooaheeva, which was plainly in sight from Rooahooga. We stood along, with a fine breeze and clear weather, and at three, P.M., rounded the north-eastern extremity of Nooaheeva, when a spacious harbour, called Comptroller's Bay, opened to our view. It is about three miles deep, and at its inner extremity are two projecting points that extend out for more than a mile, and form three small harbours. We were no sooner observed by the natives on shore, than they put off in a number of large canoes and pulled with great rapidity towards us. The wind was light and baffling, and we advanced slowly into the harbour. In a few minutes, we were surrounded by canoes, containing from six to eight men each. They belonged to different tribes, which they attempted to explain to us with great earnestness of speech and gesture, but as we had no one on board who knew much of the language, we were greatly at a loss to comprehend their meaning. They had not followed us long when two of the canoes came along side, one on each quarter, and the men crawled up the side and perched themselves upon the hammocks, like so many monkeys, where they called out in a loud voice, addressing themselves alternately to us and to the natives on the side of the vessel opposite to them,—one party exclaiming "Mattee, mattee, Typee!" and the other "Mattee, mattee,[[4]] Happah!" and occasionally using angry gestures with the exclamation. This was too expressive for us not to understand. They belonged to different tribes, the Typee, and Happah; and were mutually trying to prejudice us against the tribe to which they did not belong, in order to induce us to anchor in their own bay. Both the bays were beautiful, but as the Happahs' was the most populous and nearest to us, we gave it the preference; and a little before sunset anchored in twenty fathoms water within a cable's length of the shore. The Typees no sooner saw that we were standing in for the Happah Bay, than they hurried into their canoe and paddled off for their village as fast as they could. The Happah valley was a romantic spot. A plain, a league or two in circumference, stretched back to the mountains in a semicircular form, presenting in front a clear white sand beach about a mile long. The plain was covered with cocoa-nuts, with bread-fruit interspersed, and near enough to form a continued shade without presenting the appearance of a dense forest. Scattered about every where through these trees were the palm-thatched habitations of the natives. In the rear of the plain, the mountains rose precipitously, forming an insuperable barrier against the incursions of other tribes. The land rose gently to the left, but it was almost barren and added nothing to the beauty of the landscape. On the extreme right, a considerable mountain and a point projecting far out into the bay, separated the Happahs from the tribes that lived beyond them in that direction. Nothing could equal the apparent joy of the natives when they saw us anchored in front of their village. The whole tribe, which probably did not exceed five hundred, flocked down to the beach, expressing their satisfaction by dancing and singing. Hundreds of them dashed into the water and swam off to us, so that we had not time to furl sails and clear the deck before the vessel was crowded with people. To show them that we had the means of making successful resistance against any hostile intention they might adopt, we paraded our musketeers upon the deck and practised them, a ceremony that appeared to afford the natives very great amusement. We allowed them to remain on board until the dusk of evening, when the number being so great as to make the vessel uncomfortable, and apprehending that in the course of the night they might appropriate to themselves many things that they would find about the deck, and which could not conveniently be spared, we sent most of them on shore. The chiefs and a few others who expressed a great desire to remain, were permitted to pass the night with us.
On the following day, I took a few presents with me and went over to the Typee valley, to visit that tribe, celebrated as the most warlike of Nooaheeva. As soon as the boat was perceived, the people came running towards the beach in every direction, and before she reached the shore we were surrounded by great numbers, who plunged into the water and swam off to us. As many as we could conveniently accommodate were permitted to get into the boat, where they treated me so unceremoniously that I did not think it prudent to land. Amongst those who paid me a visit was a chief of the tribe. He was a man about thirty years of age, well-featured and of fine proportions. His deportment was grave and dignified, but like the rest of our new acquaintances, who swam off to us, he was quite naked except a slight covering about his loins. The common people treated him with great deference, and never intruded upon that part of the boat where he was seated. He made us understand that he wished to obtain muskets and powder, for the purchase of which he had caused five or six large hogs to be brought down, that were tied and laying on the shore. I offered him whatever else I had that I thought would induce him to part with them; but he obstinately refused any other consideration than muskets and powder. Large quantities of cocoa-nuts, bananas, and papayas were thrown into the boat by the people who were swimming around us, and when we had been lying there an hour, we had as many in the boat as we could conveniently carry. I had a variety of presents, such as beads, buttons, &c., all of which the common people were very anxious to obtain; but the chief would take nothing from me of less consequence than fire-arms or gunpowder. I offered him flints and musket balls, which, although of great value amongst the natives, he would not receive. He invited me frequently, with great earnestness of manner, to land, until he found, by my repeated refusals, that I was determined to remain in my boat.